Susie finally snapped. She shrieked in fury, “Arthur! You made Mom and Dad collapse! Are you happy now? Do you even have a conscience? How could you—” Arthur cut her off without hesitation. “So I was just supposed to accept being wrongfully accused? Let you all keep trampling over me? Let you slap a false accusation of theft on me and not fight back?” Susie’s mouth clamped shut. She wanted to say that, for the sake of the Gray family’s reputation, he should have just endured. But with so many people around, she didn’t dare. She was afraid of becoming the target of everyone’s judgment. John and Raelynn were rushed to the hospital. The three Gray sisters hurriedly followed, leaving Zac standing alone in the massive banquet hall. Panic flashed across Zac’s face. He wanted to stay, to salvage his birthday banquet. He hadn’t even had a chance to spin the situation in his favor. He wasn’t ready to leave. Just as the sisters reached the door, Julie suddenly turned back. “Zac, aren’t you coming to the hospital with Mom and Dad?” Zac froze. The hall went dead silent. Every guest turned to look at him—the one person who clearly had no intention of leaving. Arthur, ever the troublemaker, smirked and added, “This was supposed to be his big redemption party. He hasn’t cleared his name yet. Of course, he doesn’t want to leave.” With just one sentence, Zac was once again thrust into the spotlight. Julie shot Arthur a long, unreadable look before turning and following the others out. Zac clenched his jaw, shooting Arthur a glare full of resentment. He hesitated, but under the heavy scrutiny of the guests, he had no choice but to reluctantly leave as well. The sound of engines roared outside as their convoy departed. Left behind were the banquet guests, still processing what had just unfolded. Arthur leisurely stood up. “Well, if you’re all full, I think it’s time to go home,” he said, patting his stomach in satisfaction. With that, he strode toward the exit. The remaining guests exchanged glances. This Gray family heir was… interesting. After everything that had just happened—after being treated so cruelly by his own family—he had calmly retaliated, then made jokes like nothing had happened. His psychological resilience was beyond impressive. After Arthur left, the guests gradually followed suit. Zac’s sixteenth birthday banquet, meant to be a grand celebration, had turned into a spectacular disaster—one entirely of his own making. Because Zac had immediately sought out Arthur upon entering, he hadn’t even gotten around to opening his birthday gifts. He hadn’t eaten a single bite of cake. His big day had ended in complete humiliation before all of high society. By contrast, three days ago, Arthur had at least gotten to enjoy the cake Ashley bought him. He’d had pleasant company, and in the end, his birthday had been much better than Zac’s. Arthur paid another two dollars for the bus ride back to school. This time, dressed in his faded t-shirt, no one on the bus gave him strange looks. It was still early when he returned to his dorm. He powered on his computer. As expected, both his phone and the internet were flooded with news. Everywhere, people were talking about Zac’s pathetic attempt to frame Arthur, his bullying, and the Gray family’s absurd favoritism toward an adopted son over their real one. Some guests had even recorded footage from the banquet, including the video Arthur had played on the big screen. Online backlash erupted like a tidal wave. People couldn’t believe what they had seen—it was the most absurd drama high society had ever witnessed. There was so much gossip, they didn’t even know where to start. For a family that had always been obsessed with maintaining their image, the Gray family’s reputation had crumbled overnight. Arthur skimmed through the articles for a moment before closing the browser, focusing instead on his stock portfolio.The Gray family wouldn’t let this spiral out of control. They had resources and influence, and they would find a way to suppress the situation. That was the difference between someone with power and someone without. If Arthur wanted to bring them down for good, he had to strengthen himself first. Once he had enough power, then he could deliver the fatal blow. The moment his current stock investment paid out, it would be time to move on to the next step. He had his sights on a small company—one that would skyrocket in value over the next two years. Right now, the company was on the brink of bankruptcy, selling off assets to survive. In exactly one week, another corporation would step in and acquire it. Arthur had to earn enough money before that happened—he needed to buy it first. Relying on stock trading alone wouldn’t be enough. He couldn’t predict everything. Stocks weren’t a long-term solution for his plans. The next morning, Arthur turned on his computer and was surprised to find that Gray Corporation’s stock had plummeted. A chuckle escaped him. So last night’s drama had shaken the company more than expected. In an excellent mood, he treated himself to a hearty breakfast before heading to class. As soon as he stepped into the classroom, the room fell into silence. No surprise—Zac was absent. He had often taken sick leave before, but this time, it wasn’t just Zac who had fallen ill. This time, it was the Gray family’s parents who were in the hospital.